House Foreign Affairs Committee Announces Shelving of Palestine Resolution

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs today issued a formal announcement declaring that it will take no action “at this time” on the Palestine resolution which urges free Jewish immigration to Palestine and the ultimate establishment of a Jewish Commonwealth there. The announcement emphasizes that action on the resolution at this time “would be unwise.”

A supplementary statement issued by Chairman Sol Bloom revealed that Secretary of War Stimson today sent a letter to the Foreign Affairs Committee in which he stressed that further action on the Palestine resolution by the committee at this time “would be prejudicial to the successful prosecution of the war.”

Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy appeared this morning before a closed executive session of the committee. It is assumed that he delivered Stimson’s letter which bore today’s date. The text of the letter reads as follows:

“Concerning our conversation with respect to House Resolutions 418 and 419, it is the considered judgment of the War Department that without reference to the merits of these resolutions, further action on them at this time would be prejudicial to the successful prosecution of the war.”

The announcement issued by Rep. Bloom emphasized that the decision to postpone further action on the Palestine resolution was taken this morning “following the receipt of the letter from the Secretary of War.” The full text of the Committee’s announcement stated:

“Advice and information given to us by those responsible for the conduct of the war, have convinced the Committee that action upon the (Palestine) resolution at this time would be unwise.”